Cruisin' thru Colossians

Good Morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! It's a little cooler than yesterday because the air is dryer, but the sun is out and the temp is warming up fast!

I got up later than usual this morning, for some reason. There was no reason to get up early, but it seems like part of the morning is wasted if I stay in bed past my usual time. Some people get out early, though. I already had a pair of Jehovah Witnesses knocking at my door while I was having my prayer time. I did not answer the door, but they slipped a card in which I have not even looked at. This was a husband and wife duo. I had a couple women come by just last month, and that time I spoke a few words with them and refused their literature. They are persistent!

I had Dave, the computer man, come and check out my PC yesterday, because it kept crashing on me, so after spending nearly an hour checking it out, he fixed it and did not charge me much. So, I will see if it works ok from now on. These electronic gadgets can be very annoying to me!

My cleaning ladies came yesterday and told me they had been to Sav-A-Lot just to check it out and were very pleased to find bananas at only .39 a pound, grapes very low priced and Kim bought a liter of diet cola for her husband for just 88 cents, which is less than half what he pays anywhere else! I may have to check it out one of these days..God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Colossians 3:23-25
Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do,
 as though you were working for the Lord
rather than for people. Remember the Lord
will give you an inheritance as your reward,
and the Master you are serving is Christ. But
if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back
for the wrong you have done. For God has no
favorites who can get away with evil.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Psoaring thru Psalms

Good Morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! It's overcast and humid, but the temp is in the high sixties, so it will warm up later on and no rain is predicted. Right now the wind is blowing, so it is still a gorgeous day!

Surprise! My yard crew came yesterday, instead of Monday, and blew all the leaves into piles and then put them in the dumpster. My handy man raked up 9 bags a couple weeks ago, and I did not think my yard crew would do any more raking. Guess I was fooled! Anyway, it looked nice for a while, but now the leaves that are left on the trees are falling.

Also, later in the afternoon, the roof man came and inspected and could not find any cause for the leak in the flat roof. He sealed the ends of the shingles where the slant roof joins the flat one and said over all the roof should last me several more years. Yay! Good news!

I heard a loud mower close by while I was busy on the computer and went to the living room to see where the mowing was. I could not see anything, but later, Cheryl called and told me that the yard next door was mowed and edged. A young guy I have known since he was born lives there and does not care for his yard, so his mom came and hired a yard man to clean up the place. That is the best it has looked for a year or more!

Well, I saw a mocking bird sitting on the line this morning. It was such a contrast to see this lone wild bird sitting among all the wires and connections on that particular pole! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 37:3-8
Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord
and he will give you your heart's desires.

Commit everything you do to the Lord,
Trust him and he will help you.
He will make your innocence as clear asthe dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine
like the noonday sun.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

The Tree and It's Fruit

Good Morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Once again, we have ditto weather..same as yesterday! Blue skies, lots of sun and very little breeze. It will get up into the high seventies today and next week will be close to 80!

Well, on the not so good news front; I heard this morning that Gas prices are going up. When I heard that oil prices had gone up, I knew that gas prices would be right behind them. Well, It's been nice while it lasted. Of course, I can't complain; my total gas bill last month was $17.57.That was for half a tank, so I don't drive all that much.

Yesterday, I finally got over to the Library, and turned in three books and selected about 6 more.I was looking for another particular book, but I have never seen it on the shelves. I am very interested in stories about the Navy Seals, and there is an author who was a former seal and I have read his two fictional books with the same characters, but I think he has more and they are never available. Guess I will have to order them.I know I can always look them up on the internet.

So, after I finished at the Library, I moseyed on to the Park. Lots of out of state cars were there and the local cars all carried a fine coating of pollen. Yes, it is that time of year and my nose knows it! I am taking an allergy tablet nearly every day, and Brian has doubled his dosage.

I heard a squirrel fussing from the trees, but could not spy him, yesterday evening. Then I caught a glimpse of one of the cats that hang out in the neighborhood. They belong on the next street, but roam all over. There are three of them that I have seen. The squirrels definitely do not like them! But God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Luke 7:43-45
A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and
a bad tree can't produce good fruit. A tree
is identified by the kind of fruit it produces.
Figs never grow on thornbushes or grapes on
bramble bushes. A good person produces
good deeds from a good heart, and an evil
person produces evil deeds from an evil heart.
Whatever is in your heart, determines what you say.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Happy Leap Day!

Good Morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Chilly nights, and warm, sunshiny days makes for perfect weather these days. It looks like March will come in like a lamb, since no rain is predicted for the rest of the week.

I had an interesting weekend...Fri. evening I went to Applebee's and picked up my Carside to Go dinner which I had ordered. That was the first time I had done that, but I will do it again, since it is a big change from Boston Market!

Then, Saturday, Brian went to the Saturday Morning Market downtown St. Petersburg, and brought me a jar of Thai red grape jam, home canned, and a quart of red, juicy strawberries, freshly picked and washed. So good! I already had a container of Publix strawberries, so I cut them all up, sampling as I cut, put Splenda on them and had some with my oatmeal this morning.

Brian took me to lunch at Harvey's on 4th St. Sat., after he finished with my check book. We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, as they were unexpectedly busy. Because it was fan day at the Trop for the Rays and it was such a beautiful day, I think that may have accounted for the crowd. Anyway, I had a Reuben sandwich which was very good, and Brian had a grouper sandwich, which Harvey's is famous for.. I would have had one, but I am staying away from fish these days, as I have unhappy results from eating it.

Then yesterday, I listened to another powerful sermon from Pastor Kevin, and some good worship singing, and was pleased and surprised to see Allen Dean, Steve's twin, visiting . I had not seen him in years, so I had to give him a hug. So all three of the Dean boys were together. I know Phyllis's heart was overflowing! (their Mom).

Then, to cap off the weekend, I had a long phone conversation with one of my dearest old friends! She called from Indiana, and we had such a good time catching up!  She's one of the friends that no matter how long you are apart, you can take up right where you left off as if no time has passed!  God is so good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

John 14:6-Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father
and we will be satisfied."
Jesus replied, "Philip, don't you even yet know who
I am, even after all the time I have been with you?
Anyone who has ever seen me, has seen the Father!
So why are you asking to see him? Don't you believe
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? Or at
least believe because of what you have seen me do.
The truth is, anyone who believes in me, will do the
same works I have done, and even greater works because
I am going to be with the Father. You may ask for any-
thing in my name and I will do it , because the work of
the Son brings glory to the Father. Yes, ask anything
in my name and I will do it."

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

A Daily Prayer Against Spiritual Warfare

Good Morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! It is already late and that's because I am lazy this chilly day. We have lots of sun, but the wind is still blowing, so boaters are advised to use caution today.But the next few days should be lovely and clear.

I took a little ride yesterday and saw lots of people in the Park, but no animals. I noticed that the rain had made the water overflow the weir. There was lots of debris caught against the rods that line the sides. That was a lot of rain that came down!

On the way back I saw lots of cars parked in front of the Sav-A-Lot which is having its grand opening. Looks like lots of people have been waiting for it to open. It is in the same building that used to be a Publix many years ago, and then it was Dr. Pierce's Chiropractic Clinic. I think many  people from the Town Home apartments will find that very convenient.

Well, I fished some very old celery out of my crisper drawer, which was not crisp, and tossed it away. Celery does not keep well. I wish I could buy it loose, one or two stalks at a time instead of the whole head or whatever you call it! Same with lettuce. I'm thinking about putting some in one of the salad containers that go with the salad bars. That way I could use it up much faster instead of wasting the spoiled part that I never get to. I bought the celery so I could fill it with the cream cheese mixture that my niece, Kim, makes for Thanksgiving, so it was a little old, but not that old! I did not buy it in November!

Well, I see a bluejay hopping around in the hedge outside my window. God is good!

Pastor Jeff's Daily Prayer Suggestion:

Dear Heavenly Father.
I honor You as my Lord. I acknowledge that You are
always present with me. You are the only all powerful and
only wise God. You are kind and loving in all Your ways.
I love you and thank you that I am united with Jesus and
spiritually alive in Him.

I thank You for the life that I have in Christ, and I ask You
to fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may live my life free
from sin.  You are the Vine and I am the branch; apart from
You I can do nothing. I take my stand against Satan and command
all his evil spirits to depart from me. I ask these things in the
name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Easin' thru Ephesians

Good Morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! The sun is shining unlike yesterday at this time when we were under a severe thunderstorm warning and tornado watch! We had a lot of hard rain, but fortunately, no tornados. Then in the afternoon it cleared off and the next few days are supposed to be clear and cool! Our last days of winter, maybe.

Cheryl and Kim, my cleaning ladies came and said they did not get too wet going into their first house job and by the time they got here, the rain had stopped. So they worked hard and got the house spic and span. Since I am their last customer for the day, all they have to do is go across the street and they are home!

Well another familiar face is retiring from a local TV station. Chip Carter, one of my favorite sports reporters, is doing his last broadcast tomorrow. Seems like he is too young to retire.Former coach, Jon Gruden, and his wife stopped in to say goodbye to him and wish him well. It might be Tony Dungy next, or maybe Derek Jeter, who has a mansion in Tampa. We have several well known sports figures living in the area.

I saw squirrels out after the storm and the birds were busy making up for lost time securing berries and what not that they could not gather during the rain, so God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Living by the Spirit's Power

Ephesians 5:12-20
So be careful how you live, not as fools, but
as those who are wise. Make the most of
every opportunity for doing good in these
evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to
understand what the Lord wants you to do.
Don't be drunk with wine, because that will
ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit  fill
and control you. Then you will sing psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves
making music to the Lord in your hearts. And
you will always give thanks for everything to
God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving,joy and love!

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Psoaring thru Psalms

Good Morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! I am rejoicing because I did not have to be out in the storm that passed through here! I was anxiously watching the ceiling where the faint stains are to see if they got any larger, which would mean more leaking, but unless it shows up later, so far no more stain.The roofer is not coming until the first of March, which is too long to wait in my opinion. All I want is someone to check to see where the leak is coming from. Sigh.

The sun is actually trying to come out now, and making the drops of rain shine like diamonds on the hedge next door. Well, looks like the clouds have not gone away yet, as the brightness dimmed. Now the wind has picked up and the prediction is for cooler weather; in fact, down right chilly tonight. Last night I had the A/C on and the winter blanket pushed down to the foot of the bed and was very comfortable. Guess I will pull it back up tonight.

It was so warm yesterday, that I decided to go to Steak and Shake and get a strawberry shake. I had been to the Park and saw a great blue heron, the big brown gopher tortoise, and on the way out, a hawk on the ground. After that, I took the shake home and enjoyed it! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 139:1-6
O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my every thought when far away.
You chart the path ahead of me
and tell me where to stop and rest.
Every moment you know where I am.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.'
You both precede and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to know!

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis